Means for cooling beverage pipes



y 1950 G. SEILER 2,506,843

MEANS FOR COOLING BEVERAGE PIPES Filed Jan. 28, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 5 e. SEILER 2,506,843

MEANS FOR COOLING BEVERAGE PIPES Filed Jan. 28, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 $yi, 20 l H y 1950 G. SEILER 2,506,843

- MEANS FOR COOLING BEVERAGE PIPES Filed Jan. 28, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 iatentecl May 9, 1956 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to a novel means and mechanism for refrigerating pipes, cooling bars and cabinets.

It is known that in many taverns, kegs of beer are maintained in the basement or in a separate refrigerated compartment, with beer pipes leading upwardly through the floor and into and through the bar to the faucets. Usually the major portions of the delivery beer lines or pipes are exposed to room temperature above the floor, with the result that there is considerable absorption of heat by the beer pipes from the surrounding air, which is transmitted to the relatively narrow column of beer within the relatively narrow pipes. This results in the beer arriving at the cooling coil at a considerably higher temperature than existed at the time it left the keg in the underlying basement or cooling chamber. This necessitates more cooling and this, in many instances, is impossible when beer is drawn relatively rapidly from the faucets to meet peak period demands.

It is therefore an important object of my invention to provide a device adapted to be quickly and easily mounted in the floor or partition wall between the chamber where the kegs are kept and the points of delivery at the faucets, and which includes means permitting circulation of air from the basement, or cooling chamber, upwardly and thence back into the basement or cooling chamber. A further object and advantage of my invention is the provision of a pair of pipes, one within the other, forming two communications between a refrigerating chamber, or bar, and the space beneath the floor, said communications permitting simultaneous movement of air in both directions, and including a pipe circuit in a portion of which is mounted the beer line delivering beer to the faucets so that cooled air from the basement or cooling chamber is passed in heat exchange relation with said beer delivery pipes.

Other important objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the full description and appended claim.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a refrigerating means illustrating a portion of my device in crosssection, and taken through a cross-section of a floor and lower cooling chamber.

Figure 2 is an enlarged View of mounting member forming the two-way passages through the floor Or intermediate partition, and showing certain parts broken away.

Figure 3 is an elevational view with parts of the cabinet broken away and illustrating the return portions of the pipes extending through the cooling cabinet chamber and communicating with the outer air return channel.

Referring to Figure 1, numeral l designates a horizontal floor or partition which may be of any suitable construction and which, in most cases, is the floor between the basement and the upper room. Numerals II and 12 are the side walls, and I3 the floor or bottom wall of a chamber A which preferably, though not necessarily, contains a suitable mechanical cooling unit, the latter being illustrated by numeral l4. Numeral 21 indicates an insulated top wall or ceiling, as shown in Figure 1.

Numeral l5 designates a typical refrigerator, or bar, which may be mechanically cooled, or cooled by ice, and which is supported by legs 11, two of which are shown. Refrigerator [5 has the usual horizontal drain-board l6, which is provided with a pair of relatively large openings (not shown). Refrigerator I5 has supported thereon a header l8 which includes the two downwardly extending pipes 19, as illustrated in Figure 1. Usual faucets are mounted on the said header liiof the desired number, which are connected with suitable fittings to the beer delivery pipes, two of which bearing numerals 2B and 2| are illustrated in Fig. 1.

The lower end portions of beer pipes 20 and 2! are connected in the usual manner with kegs 22 which are in the lower chamber A. Numerals 23 and 24 designate conventional pipes and pressure-regulating gauges, respectively, which are communicatively connected to a compressed air source indicated by pipe 25.

As shown in the enlarged view of Figure 2, numeral 26 designates a metal sleeve, pipe, or cylinder, which is of ,a length slightly longer than the distance between the face of the ceiling or top wall 21, and the inner surface of the bottom wall 5a of the refrigerating bar. The upper end portion of said sleeve 26 terminates a short distance above the inner face of wall [5a, and said upper end is mounted and normally held in place by a flange or collar 31, which has set screws 31a mounted therein.

The lower end of metal member 3| has an integral side outlet nipple 32, shown partially at the left of Figure 2. Said member 3! is preferably cast or molded from metal and has, integral with its lower end portion, an inwardly extending flange 33 which defines a round hole and in which is seated the lower end of pipe 34 through which extend substantial portions of the beer delivery pipes 20 and 2|, respectively.

Said member 3| is adapted to be mounted and held in position below the wall 21, or in some installations below the floor or partition 1!], with the aid of a metal collar 28 which has integral apertured lugs 28a, in which lugs are threaded three or more screws 29 (two of which are shown in Figure 2), the ends of which screws impinge against the outer face of member 3!. Said col lar 28 also has two or more integral apertured ears 281) (one of which is shown at the leftof Figure 2), and releasable securing screws 34 pass therethrough and are threaded into the wall 3'1,

3 or in some instances into the fioor or partition l0. Said collar accordingly provides part of the means for supporting said member 3i in suspended position.

As shown in the upper part of Figure 2, numeral 31 designates a metal ring or collar which is mounted on the inner face of the bar wall lEa by releasable screws 31a. The upper peripheral end portion of the sheet metal cylinder 26 extends just a short distance above said ring or collar 31, as indicated in Figure 2. This provides an additional means to aid the support of said cylinder 26 and as an aid in support of the member 3 I.

Numeral 44 designates a cylinder or liner which is mounted as shown in Fig. 2; and extends from the cooler bottom wall (Ea to collar 23 and surrounds a metal cylinder 26. Cylinder 4-5 may be formed of metal or of suitable insulating material.

Numeral is a metal pipe, the lower end of which is mounted in flange 33, and which extends upwardly through the member 3!, through the bar, and through pipe I9 into header I8 into which it extends a short distance. conduit 34 has the beer delivery pipes extending tlierethrough, two thereof being illustrated in the drawing and in Figure 2, such beer pipes being partially indicated by dotted lines. The size of pipe 34 is ample so that a closed path is provided for the circulated air to travel upwardly 38, and which is adapted to circulate the air in the closed path just defined. The general direction of the return path of air is indicated by arrows in Figure 1.

In Figure 2, a spacer ring 43 is preferably interposed between cylinder 26 and pipe 34.

It will be understood that the circulated air cooled in the cooler or chamber A will be in heat exchange relation to the beer delivery pipes, and that such pipes will be maintained relatively cool as long as such cooled air iscirculated as I stated, and that the normal room air of the room in which the bar is mounted is prevented from contacting such beer pipes, and consequently warming the beer, especially during periods when the beer is drawn relatively slowiy' and is aliowed to remain in the beer delivery pipes for substantial periods. The absorption of heat bysuch delivery pipes and by the contained beer from such pipes has been a 'veryobjectionable feature 'of numerous installations.

Referring to Figure 3, numeral lea designates a return pipe or conduit which. is communicatively connected at one end to the left depending header pipe E9 andits horizontally extending portion is connected to the nipple S of a relatively long cylinder or pipe 23a which forms an extension of the member 23. In this type of in stallation the metal member is mounted to extendthrough the floor or partition iii and the cylinder or pipe 26a (which may be optionally integral with member 29), is mounted with its uppermost end extending to the upper or top wall of the cooling cabinet. The side outlet nipple 45 is integral with cylinder 26a and provides a means for connecting thereto one end portion of return pipe Ma.

Said pipe or In this instance the air will be drawn through header, back through the pipe |9a and downward through the cylinder 26a and out through nipple 32 and pipe 38. In such cases the returning air is not circulated through the chamber of the cooling cabinet directly but through the closed path defined. The return pipe Illa and cylinder 26a absorb a substantial amount of heat from the cooling cabinet.

This provides a closed path which has less heat exchange surface than would occur in the structure as is defined in the following paragraph, and avoids a certain amount of heat exchange with articles in the chamber of the bar cabinet 15, though the return pipe l9a provides some absorption of heat in the bar cabinet. The upper end of sleeve or pipe 26a surrounding pipe 34 is closed at the horizontal bar panel I6.

In Fig. 1, I have illustrated a modified form of my invention in which the left return pipe I9 is not extended nor connected to the outer sleeve or pipe 26. In this instance, pipe 26 preferably terminates slightly above the floor or bottom wall 15a of the cooler 5. The air discharged from the left return pipe i9 is circulated through the chamber of the refrigerator cabinet Iii as part of the return path, as illustrated. The travel" of air, forced as described is upward through pipe 34, right pipe i9, header l8, left pipe 19, thence through the chamber of refrigerator i5 and downthrough the space between pipe 34' and sleeve 26 and through nipple 32 and pipe 38 into the lower refrigerating chamber.

The present invention has been described herein more or less as to details, yet it is to be understand that the invention is not to be limited thereby, as changes may be made in the arrangement and proportion of parts and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

Ina device for circulating cooled air in a closed path in heat exchange relationship with beer supply pipes; a cylindrical casing having a side outlet and a lower opening a collar adapted to mount said casing on a support member; a pipe having one end thereof mounted in the lower opening of said casing and normally enclosing a substantial part of the beer supply pipes; a header carrying beer supply valves and being communicativel'y' connected with the pipe; a cylinder connected to one end portion of said casing and surrounding said pipe and spaced therefromya collar adapted to mount said cylinder, a plurality of connected-together pipes communicatively connecting the upper portion of said cylinder and a portion of said header, said first mentioned pipe, said header and said plurality of pipes and said cylinder providing a closed path through which cold air may be circulated to maintain the beer-supplypipes in said first mentioned pipe at relatively cold temperatures.

GEORGE SEILER'.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,065,949 SandeII Dec. 29, 1936 2,076,922 Simard Apr. 1'3, 1937 2,230,905 Popky Feb. 4, 1941 2,257,010 Perlick Sept. '23, 1941 2,362,104- Smith W Nov. 7., 194% 

